Frequently Asked Questions
Store Information
What are your hours of operation?
You may purchase items on-line from 1st Gear Music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, if you need help from our staff, the best time to contact us is between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) Monday through Saturday. Our brick-and-mortar retail showroom in Elmira Heights, New York is open Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday we shift our focus to website management and other "housekeeping" matters, but we maintain "unofficial" hours for customers who may stop by. We also can arrange special appointments for customers who may be working during our regular store hours. We recommend that you call first to verify our open and close times Monday through Thursday. Special appointments are arranged by calling at least a day in advance. There is no sales or support staff available on these holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, we do respond to contact emails on these days if we are able. For telephone support, call us at 1-877-345-0500. Should you receive a recorded message, it probably means we are working with other customers. In this case, please leave a message — providing us with times that we may contact you — and we will return your call as quickly as possible. You can also email us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com.
Besides on-line, what other means are available to purchase items from 1st Gear Music?
You may call us toll-free at 1-877-345-0500 during business hours listed above. Or you may fax us at 1-607-795-5253. Each off-line purchase is handled on a case-by-case basis, but we will make every effort to help you.
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Payment Information
What forms of payment do you accept?
1st Gear Music accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards as well as PayPal. Other forms of payment may be arranged by calling us or by writing to 1st Gear Music, P.O. Box 418, Horseheads, NY, 14845. We also accept gift certificates issued by 1st Gear Music. In the case that personal checks are allowed, merchandise will not be shipped until the check clears. Should a check be returned for any reason, there is a $30 service charge. We do not accept C.O.D. orders, but may accept Purchase Orders from pre-authorized businesses and organizations.
When purchases involving high dollar amounts are made via credit card, we reserve the right to delay shipping until our credit card processors notify us that the transaction has officially settled, and that funds will be deposited in our business banking account. A "high dollar amount" purchase is a dollar figure which we determine subjectively, meaning the amount may vary from purchase to purchase. We also reserve the right to delay shipping while we perform additional due diligence steps to verify that a credit card has not been reported lost or stolen. Due diligence can involve calling the issuing bank for additional verification, using a customer-provided telephone number to call the customer and verify the purchase, or taking other steps to verify customer-provided information. We take these extra precautions to help combat growing incidences of identity theft. We will work as quickly as possible to complete any verification step which we deem necessary, and we appreciate your patience for the relatively short amount of time required to complete these steps. Banks that issue credit cards adhere to industry-wide privacy policies, so we cannot receive personal information about you except to match a street address to a credit card number, and to receive a simple "Yes" or "No" response when asking whether the credit card has been lost or stolen. We ask that you envision what it would be like if your personal credit card or financial information was stolen, and hope that you appreciate our efforts to combat identity theft. We are more than willing to answer questions regarding our policies and procedures. Please feel free to call us toll-free at 1-877-345-0500, or to email us at www.1stgearmusic.com.
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Shipping Information
Can you ship to my P.O. Box, APO, FPO or similar addresses?
Sorry, all purchases must be shipped to a physical address. Our two main shipping vendors — UPS and FedEx — will only deliver to an actual physical address. If for some reason this cannot be done, you can email us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com and we will contact you by email or telephone to discuss the situation and possible solutions.
Where do you ship outside the 48 continental states?
We ship certain merchandise outside the 48 continental states, but on a case-by-case basis. Some factors we need to consider are shipping costs as well as any applicable duty brokerage fees and tariffs. If you are ordering from outside the continental 48 states, we will contact you by email to provide you with available options. The size and weight of certain products will affect the cost of shipping. Also, we cannot guarantee how long it will be before your order arrives, but we can pass along estimates from our shipping vendors.
Can my order be shipped to an address other than my credit card billing address?
Yes, but only if your credit card company has an alternative shipping address on file. If your credit card company does not, you can contact it and have that address added. If you request an order to be shipped to an address other than what the credit card company has on file, the credit card company may reject your purchase.
What does 1st Gear Music charge for shipping?
Our shipping charges are calculated based on the total price of your order (not including state sales tax charges). Shipping charges may also cover a nominal fee for handling and insurance. Express and overnight shipping carries an extra cost determined by our shipping vendors. Please call us at 1-877-345-0500 or email us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com to discuss these options. Shipments to Canada also incur an additional charge. We will contact you via email to discuss your options. In addition, special handling and other charges (such as for over-sized or heavy items) may apply. For orders outside the 48 continental states (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and international), our site may provide additional information. If specific information is not shown, you will need to contact us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com for a shipping quote.
Does 1st Gear Music offer free shipping?
Orders totaling $199.00 or more (not including shipping or state tax) may qualify for free standard ground shipping within the 48 continental states. Carrier options for free shipping are UPS Ground and United States Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail. Expedited shipping options may be available, but at an additional cost. Over-sized or extremely heavy items may not qualify for free shipping. 1st Gear Music may also raise or lower free shipping qualification amounts at any time, based on shipping cost increases passed along by shipping vendors, or in the case of certain promotions.
Are any items shipped directly from manufacturers?
In general, we prefer to ship items directly from our facility so we can inspect them first. In certain cases, we may allow an order to be "drop shipped" directly from one of our vendors. Our general policy is that only unbreakable items (stands, cases, certain accessories, etc.) can be drop shipped. We may allow certain vendors to drop ship gear based on their track record of delivering items that are properly set up and in good working condition. Most items, though, require visual inspection or setup work, and we prefer to perform these steps before passing them on to our customers.
How long does it take for 1st Gear Music to ship my order?
Most orders will be shipped via standard ground delivery within 1 to 3 “business days,” between the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Business days are Monday through Friday. An order placed on Thursday may not be shipped until the following week because Saturday and Sunday do not count as business days. Our shipping vendors determine business days, based on their operating procedures. Other factors that may affect shipping time include setup work and adjustments made to items.
What if an item cannot be shipped within 1 to 3 business days?
1st Gear Music will contact you to discuss when you can expect your order to be shipped. Special orders (custom setups, modifications, repairs, certain requests to vendors, etc.) may delay shipping, and we will contact you to discuss shipping time frames. Our policy is to never show an item on our website that is not yet in stock, or temporarily out of stock. This avoids cumbersome "pre-order" or "backorder" transactions, which inevitably involve delay times we are unable to predict.
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Return Policy
What is the return policy of 1st Gear Music?
If you are not satisfied with a purchase, you may return an item within 7 business days for a full refund. All returns are handled on a case-by-case basis. Please read below for an overview of our return procedures. Excluded from our normal return policy are special-order items that we do not normally stock. Such special-order items are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with no guarantee whatsoever that a return will be approved. Items sold at a discount below the minimum advertised price (MAP) determined by the manufacturer may also be excluded. Such items are treated the same as Closeout items, and possible returns are also reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Customers are usually notified about return status before a purchase is finalized. Any returned item(s) must be 100% resalable. This means that the product(s) is in exactly the same condition as you received it. All authorized merchandise returns or exchanges must be pre-paid, and each item must be returned in original packaging, complete with blank warranty cards, unmarked and undamaged owner's manuals and show no sign of wear or abuse. If we receive a return that is not in the same condition as we shipped it, you may be subject to a 15% restocking fee, or a repair charge that will vary with the scope of necessary repair work or disqualification. Unwrapped CDs, DVDs, video tapes, sheet music, books, strings, computer hardware/software, flash memory devices, sound cards, unwrapped or played drumheads, harmonicas, instrument mouthpieces, microphones, raw speakers, studio furniture, blank recording media or special orders from vendors are not covered by this policy. All items sold by 1st Gear Music are covered by full manufacturers' warranties. If an item not covered by our return policy is defective, we will work closely with you and the manufacturer to obtain a replacement. In some cases, we can send you a replacement item in a short time period, depending on what arrangements we have made with the manufacturer. Should you wish to return an item, please first contact us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com explaining the nature of your desired return. Please include a telephone number at which we can reach you. We will contact you by email or telephone to discuss the matter. In most cases involving returned items, the cost of shipping is paid by the customer. When you receive your order, we strongly suggest that you immediately check it to be sure all items are undamaged and in proper working order. Please do not accept any shipment if the packaging appears damaged in any way. Bottom line, we will do everything possible to make sure you are satisfied with your order, and that problems are quickly resolved.
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Ordering
What if I can't find certain products or brands on your website?
We are continually taking on new lines, and individual items may not immediately appear on the site. Also, our policy is not to show items on our site that are backordered, or that we cannot quickly ship. We encourage customers to call or email us regarding items that do not appear on our website. We will quickly respond with availability status, price and how long it will take to ship such items.
Can I check the status of my order?
When an item is shipped via one of our shipping vendors, a tracking number is usually provided. You can track your order by clicking the link on our site to that particular vendor. If you have other questions about your order, email us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com and we will quickly respond by email or telephone.
Can I add or delete items to an order once it has been placed?
Under certain circumstances, items may be added or deleted by calling us toll-free at 1-877-345-0500 and speaking to our staff, or emailing us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com and providing full details. We will do our best to accommodate your request. If the item has already been shipped, we will advise you on how to proceed with the shipper. If you add or delete an item, your order, if it has not already been shipped, will most likely be delayed. We will contact you by email or telephone to give you an ETA for your order.
How do I cancel an order?
Call us at 1-877-345-0500 to discuss the situation with one of our staff. If your order has not yet shipped, we will place a hold on it. We will then request that you send us an email (it must match the email used when the order was received) requesting that the order be cancelled. Failure to comply may delay your cancellation or prevent you from placing future orders.
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Other Questions
What if my question is not covered in this FAQ section?
Please contact us or email us at www.1stgearmusic.com@gmail.com. We will do our best to provide you with a timely answer. At 1st Gear Music, we will do our very best to make sure you become or remain a satisfied customer.
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